Hugo Chávez Essay -- Biography Chavez President Venezuela Essays

Hugo Chà ¡vez El Comandante! El Comandante! If you scream that in the streets of Venezuela, there is only one person you could possibly be referring to – Hugo Chà ¡vez. The current president of the South American country, Venezuela, has been in power for the past four years. His time in office has been criticized by most and glorified by some. He has had the backing of other countries such as Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, Libya and Iraq. On the other hand, the United States has had a continuous growth of confusion for Chà ¡vez’s actions. The leader’s intentions have been surrounded by a circle of uncertainty. Chà ¡vez’s life as president or even before those days has been far from interesting. Hugo Chà ¡vez has been a leader, a commander and a revolutionist. Hugo Rafael Chà ¡vez Frà ­as was born in Sabaneta de Barinas, a small town in the lightly populated savannah. His young life was simple. He grew up selling bananas and sowing corn. He enjoyed the academics and had a thirst for knowledge. Chà ¡vez excelled in baseball, the country’s national pastime. Josà © Là ³pez, Chà ¡vez’s baseball coach, described the youngster as, â€Å"A tough little kid, mischievous, a real talker and dreamer, but as tenacious as hell† (Rother). As he grew up he had a growing curiosity towards the military and those with power. He was assigned to many regions where he performed different duties. He also had the opportunity to meet numerous people. A former classmate and friend of Chà ¡vez, Jesà ºs Hernà ¡ndez recalled, â€Å"We were a group of four or five captains who used to jog together in the afternoons, and one day in 1983 Chà ¡vez suggested we swear an oath to fight against corruption and for the welfare of our country†¦from that moment on, we began to study the pr... .... Is this the president we have been waiting for Works Cited Buxton, Julian. Failure of Political Reform in Venezuela. Aldershot, New Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing, 2001. Ellner, Steve, and Daniel Hellinger, eds. Venezuelan Politics in the Chà ¡vez Era. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2003. Rother, Larry. â€Å"Chà ¡vez Shaping Country to His Vision.† The New York Times. On-line. Internet. 28 July 2000. Available WWW: http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/americas Schemo, Diana Jean. â€Å"Renegade Officer Favored in Venezuelan Election.† The New York Times. On-line. Internet. 6 December 1998. Available WWW: http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/americas â€Å"Venezuela’s Chà ¡vez plans to rule until 2013.† CNN Presents. CNN. 14 July 2002. Wilson, Scott. â€Å"Political Deadlock Bolsters Chà ¡vez.† The Washington Post 20 January 2003: A15.